Baseball and Softball Committee
Background & Purpose
SGMA's Baseball/Softball Council works in support of the manufacturers of baseball and softball gear,
uniforms, cleats, and accessories. The Baseball/Softball Council represents the baseball and softball
industries on issues and initiatives which affect both sports. In recent years, the issues have ranged
from participation studies to the youth bat licensing fee program to the 'wood vs. non-wood' bat matter.
Organizational Structure
The Council is headed up by a Chairperson, who is affiliated with a member company, is elected by the membership,
and serves a three-year term. A Nominating Committee is formed by the Chair prior to the election to select candidates. The
Council Chair may appoint an Executive Committee, which has overview of programs and issues between membership meetings. Serving
on the Executive Committee are George Manning (past Chair), Pat Ryan (Chairman), Art Chou (Vice Chair), Jess
Heald (Executive Director, Play Ball USA) and Sebastian DiCasoli (Administrator). Other committees include Public
Relations (Jim Darby is chair) and ASTM Task Force (Dewey Chauvin and Andrea Gordon). The Executive Committee meets
periodically when necessary between Council membership meetings. The Council has no operating funds and thus relies
on special assessments/fees for programs that require expenditures. SGMA supplies the manpower for financial
services and administration.
Major Programs/Activities
Information: Website and Research: Council has a significant presence on SGMA's website. It contains reports on past meetings, listings and
website links for members, associations, testing labs, injury/scoring statistics, information on Play Ball USA and its programs. SGMA maintains a
database that tracks baseball, soft-pitch and fast-pitch softball participation through the SuperStudy® of sports participation.
Batted Ball Injury Study: SGMA members and associations contribute to a fund a three year study comparing injury rates of wood
versus non-wood bats. Results for year one and two have been published.
How to Join
Membership in SGMA's Baseball & Softball Council is free and available to any organization who is both an active member of SGMA and a
manufacturer of baseball & softball equipment.
To join, contact the SGMA's Mike May (mmay@sgma.com).
Resources
